Customer Reviews

Sandstorm

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

First let me say that Lady Kensington has a much smaller role than I was lead to believe after reading the synopsis. Aside from that, this is a fun read. I have read all of Rollins' previous books and this is one of his best! The plot was fast moving and you don't get confused as to how the characters relate to one another. The ending was a little obvious, which is why I didn't give it five stars, but if you like adventure novels (and I most certainly do!) you will enjoy "Sandstorm."

The first in the Sigma series, Sandstorm is a high action packed adventure that takes us on a wild ride of mysterious explosions, enigmatic elusive tribes, lost artifacts and...(I love this word)...BUCKEYBALLS!

There isn't anything to dislike in this book. James Rollin's has done a spectacular job with his crisp writing style that takes the reader on a rollercoaster adventure with these wonderful characters. Suspense, thrills, excitment, love, pain... all expertly portrayed by the author.

Vivid imagery of people and places are cemented in the mind of the reader and left to linger long after the book is finished.

I would recommend this to anyone looking to read a high adrenaline heart pulsating action/adventure.

Try another of his books. AMAZONIA was OK, ICEHUNT even better.

This one is VERY late to get things going then fizzles and dies.

Oh, and he may be a vet, yet his science is more fiction than fact!

Dug-up...buckyballs to enclose ...antimatter - and all this to cause a couple of explosions and propell a boat...OK

My Advice: Pass

Great book,

I've read most of the subsequent Sigma Force series written by Mr Rollins and I enjoyed all of them.

This particular novel answers all those questions I had about many implied facts that they were using in the follow ups to this book.

The story is well tied together and credible from beginning to end.

Basically, a good relaxing and entertaining read!

I highly recommend!

Firediver :o)

Sandstorm, from its first page (which launches the first mystery), is a true page turner. Rollins is a combination of Michael Crichton, Clive Cussler, and Tom Clancy. He is able to bring to life scientific mysteries with fully fleshed, believable characters reminisent of Crichton. Like Cussler, Rollins weaves a tale of archealogical wonder around mysteries that have their roots in our most ancient history and mythology. Yet what Rollins does best is blend Clancy-style military intrigue into the mix. But he does it with three-dimensional characters that are believable because they are human and humane, flawed and fascinating. Like all three authors, Rollins' plot steams along, taking you on a sweeping journey of adventure and excitement. There is enough cutting edge technology to keep a techno-geek like my husband happy. But as a woman, I appreciate Rollins strong female characters and the fact he cares for his romantic sub-plot in a way the other three male authors I mentioned don't. So if you like scientific mysteries, archeological adventures, and military thrillers, you are going to love this book!

The explosion destroyed much of the Kensington Gallery antiquities collection of the British Museum when a bluish light struck the Iron Camel artifact killing guard Harry Masterson in the blast. Various people and government agencies want to know what caused the detonation.

Lady Kara Kensington, whose family founded the devastated gallery and its curator Safia al-Maaz find clues that lead to Ubar, a city buried beneath the Arabian Desert. They hire renowned explorer Omaha Dunn to escort them to this legendary ancient city.

In Connecticut DARPA Agent Painter Crowe is working an operation when his assignment is changed. His superiors show him the British Museum video and hand him a chunk of meteoric iron that came from the Iron Camel explosion. They assign him to learn what caused the explosion with the clues leading to Ubar.

As these four people and others head to Ubar, none comes close to conjecturing what awaits them in Ubar: a force that could destroy humanity. Those ruthlessly guarding this force believe the outsiders are the wrong hands because they want to control the secrets at a cost that could mean the end.

This exciting science fiction thriller shows once again that James Rollins is one of the best at taking readers on a nature tour like none they have ever been on except in his action-packed novels (see ICE HUNT and EXCAVATION). His latest tales hooks the audience the moment Harry takes his third puff on his cigarette and never lets up until the end. The key quartet each has distinct personalities and a bit of romance adds to understanding the varying motives of the foursome. Fans will cherish this powerful story.

Harriet Klausner

With Sandstorm James Rollins takes his story telling skills to a new level. Sandstorm like all of his previous works is a fast paced, action packed adventure that takes to fabulous locations and keeps the action moving. This is the best Rollins book yet and it is sure to please.

Sandstorm begins in England, and after a mysterious murder, an artifact is found inside an ancient statute. It leads to a race in the desert between two groups searching for the lost city of UBAR.

The story leads of a fact paced, and exciting finish that will have you on the edge of your seat turned each page faster and faster. The writing takes you into the desert and you can feel the Sandstorm heading towards you. If you are looking to be transported away for a fun filled journey, this is the book for you!

Along the way there are the normal twists and turns that keep you wanting more. Some in the past have said there was not enough character development in Rollins' books, but this time, I think there is just enough. You get to know what is driving the characters and can see why they are doing the things that they are.

This is a great book for that summer weekend at the beach or just sitting out on your front porch! Fans of Rollins will love this new book, and if you are a first time reader of Rollins, I am sure that you will be hooked. I HIGHLY recommend Sandstorm by James Rollins!

In Rollins' latest adventure, we're tagging along with a new cast of characters on the hunt to find a long lost city under the Arabian desert. The main cast consists of Lady Kara Kensington, head of the family empire who funded and founded the gallery where curator Safia Al-Maaz (longtime childhood friend to Kara or is there more to this relationship than first meets the eye of the reader???) covets many long lost antiquities; Omaha Dunn, ex-fiancé to Safia (plenty of tension there!) and covert government agent Painter Crowe (adding more sexual tension to the Safia-Omaha mix). After a mysterious explosion destroys a portion of the museum (caused by a strange lightning ball as it strikes an artifact known as the Iron Camel), an odd artifact is found within a sandstone statue that sends our cast of characters on the chase to find the long lost city of Ubar as they try to elude the "enemy" trying to get to the lost city first. Who gets there first? Who is the enemy? Who lives/dies? Who saves the day? Who ends up with the lovely Safia? Buy the book and find out! I thoroughly enjoyed the story. I loved the fact that many of the main characters were female (as was the token "bad guy") in Rollins' latest masterpiece. Very imaginative storyline and the ending...well...I can't tell you how it ends but it's well worth the time invested! I read this book with absolute fascination, often trying to figure out what was fiction and what was not. Learned something about buckyballs...one of the things I thought was fiction! And cool trick with the sand shoes by the way... I'd love to see Hollywood's CGI experts trying to do justice to the very picturesque and unique scenes found in the last quarter of this book!

First of all I liked this book. It's fun, fast, never overly silly, but just silly enough. It's one of his two best. Now, I'd like to rant about something that bothers me. I've been an avid reader for well over twenty years and I can't help but cringe whenever I hear someone talking about character developement in an action/thriller where all of the action takes place in a matter of a few days. First off, when someone is staring at an enemy army with no hope of escape and a potentially Earth destroying antimatter bomb under their noses... who cares if they once had a puppy that died or if their favorite color is blue?!? This isn't an epic saga of the Russian Revolution where it might be important to know what events have molded our characters in the past. This is a fast-paced action adventure where we get to know all we need to know about the characters in order to enjoy the story. We have tough guys and even tougher gals fighting for their lives in extreme, supernatural circumstances. It's GREAT for a fun weekend read. I love some author's ability to coax a lot out of his characters, but in a book like this more character developement would have slowed down the pace and seriously hurt the overall book. As far as character developement, Dean Koontz is the champ, Matt Reilly is at the other end, and Rollins is in the middle somewhere. However, I can get just as big a kick out of Rollins and Reilly as I do from Koontz. Overall, for this kind of book, I think Rollins does pretty good in the overrated "Character Developement" category. It's an enjoyable read and you won't get cheated out of anything. I gave it 4 stars only because I save 5 star reviews for the truly GREAT works.

An inexplicable scientific phenomena destroys a museum with many ancient Arabic artifacts. All that is left behind are clues leading to an ancient city long buried beneath the Arabian sands. The curator of the museum, along with her best friend, a archeologist, and two agents from Darpa(U.S. Scientific Special Forces agents) and two Indiana Jones type Archeological explorers, travel two this site to unearth the reason behing the explosion that rocked the museum, also believed to be the reason why the curator's father disappeared in a sandstorm many years before, above the ancient, lost city.
On their tale is a group of female assassins, bent on keeping this city a secret, and therein lies the action, and excitement behind James Rollins's best book yet.
Plenty of fun for anyone hooked on the action adventure novel.
HIGHLY RECCOMENDED!!! AAA+++